And despite reports the 27-year-old was likely to make his return against Harry Redknapp's men, the striker will remain sidelined after failing to train for most of the week.

Sir Alex Ferguson will also be without defender Phil Jones, who was injured during the win over the Royals, with the 71-year-old admitting he may even miss the Champions League last-16 second leg with Real Madrid.

Aside from that, though, the United manager should have a virtually full squad to pick from for the trip to west London.

The Premier League leaders go into the game a massive 12 points ahead of closest title rivals, and current champions, Manchester City, while the Rs are four points adrift at the bottom of the table.

And the game poses a good opportunity to further extend that lead, with three points against the bottom boys meaning Roberto Mancini's men would be 15 points behind when they play Chelsea on Sunday.

Meanwhile, a win for Redknapp's side wwould provide a huge boost in their push for survival, particularly with many of the bottoms sides facing each other at the weekend.

The two clubs immediately above the Hoops, Reading and Wigan, face each other at the Madejski Stadium on Saturday, with 16th-placed Newcastle hosting 17th-placed Southampton.